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Ohio Braces For Sandy’s Side Effects

Much of Southeast Ohio will be under a wind advisory Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday as Ohio is bracing for a superstorm threatening some 50 million people from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.

The National Weather Service warned people living in low-lying areas and along the Lake Erie shoreline to watch for flooding early in the week.

High wind warnings for gusts up to 65 mph have been posted across parts of Ohio, threatening utility lines and trees. Rain is forecast through mid-week.

The National Weather Service is issuing the wind advisory beginning at noon Monday and lasting through 5 p.m. Tuesday. Wind ranging from 15 to 25 mph is expected, with gusts between 40 and 50 mph are possible.

Hurricane Sandy is headed north from the Caribbean toward the mid-Atlantic coast and a collision with a wintry storm moving from the west.

Electric utilities that make up the East Coast operating areas of Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. are preparing for the storm. Akron-based FirstEnergy, with six million customers in six states, asked customers to take all necessary precaution.